Index

When Big Men ruled global health: a cautionary tale

Excerpt: There was a time in world health efforts when Big Men (yes, all men, European and North American) had Big Ideas, backed by money and power. They had offices in places like the World Bank, UNICEF, and the Rockefeller Foundation. And they made scientific and programmatic decisions, financing and executing schemes that affected the survival and lives of hundreds of millions of people. When their decisions were sagacious and well executed the results could be breathtaking. Millions of children might in a single year be spared death from measles, for example, thanks to a targeted immunisation campaign.